Chapter 61

"Among those who treated the Baron Reuprecht's son like a servant, one of them must be the kidnapper."

"Why..."

"Princess Einhorn thinks that because she doesn't have any idea who among them would kidnap her, she wonders why?"

"..."

"If you think that way, I can tell Duke Einhorn to find a fiancé for the princess and have her marry as soon as she comes of age. Since she's been involved in this, it's not too much to say, right?"

"That's a mean way to put it, isn't it? Because it's intentional."

"Do you mean it's my fault?"

My sarcasm seems to have hit home, as Princess Einhorn glares at me.

"As long as the target is Princess Einhorn, Nebel and I are involved in the kidnapping. I don't know what the Duke said, but the damage to the princess's reputation is already subsiding, so there was no need for you to show up at my place. If you continue to display a close relationship, it might lead to something you're trying to avoid, don't you think?"

"Something I'm avoiding?"

Come on, why are you acting like you don't understand?

"Engagement."

"Engagement? Whose?"

I'm disappointed by the princess's question. Is she one of those insensitive protagonists who suffer from sudden selective deafness?

"If you don't understand, let's end this conversation."

You say you don't want to be engaged to me because it would make you a 'villainous lady,' but why don't you realize that you're being cornered?

"The target of the kidnapper is Princess Einhorn. What do they want to do with her? I have three theories."

I'll ignore the princess's question and get back to the topic of the kidnapper.

"One is a setup. The kidnapper plans to rescue the princess and claim a favor from Duke Einhorn and the princess. The second is a variant of the first: since the princess has been kidnapped, no noble will accept her marriage proposal, so the kidnapper plans to become her fiancé. The third is a simple, deranged idea: the kidnapper plans to kidnap and imprison the princess to keep her as a love doll. Which one do you think it is, Nebel?"

"Love doll?"

"A life-sized female sex doll."

Nebel looks serious after my explanation.

"None of these are good. And all of them are possible."

That's right.

A love-crazed person can do anything. They act on obsessive thoughts, like stalkers.

"I think the person who brought us here is a hired hand."

From their appearance, they are not servants of the nobility.

They are likely thugs from the slums or adventurers involved in less reputable crimes. Honest adventurers wouldn't take such a job, and mercenaries even less so.

Thieves and bandits wouldn't get involved in such a deal and wouldn't even sit at the negotiation table. They are not only cautious but also have a strong dislike for the wealthy upper class. They would rather strip the noble who hired them and run away.

"What we need to be cautious about is if the kidnapper has the third motive and has ordered them to bring the princess to them."

"We're going to be silenced."

Nebel is always realistic and doesn't think optimistically that they will be spared if they hand over the princess.

"Al, let's look for some rope."

Nebel says we need something to restrain them if the hired hand comes to this basement.

"What? We're going to restrain them?"

"Killing them would be better, but we're just kids with no strength. We need to consider how much we can do against someone experienced in such matters. Restraint can buy us time."

True.

I've been attacked a few times, so I'm used to seeing dead bodies, but the problem is Princess Einhorn.

She's not used to such situations and hasn't seen blood. If we use a bloody method, she'll panic. So, in this case, strangulation would be appropriate, but I'm not sure if we have the strength to do it.

It was fortunate that we weren't underestimated and weren't restrained or searched.

"If only I had brought a halberd in my item box bag."

I curse and open the heel of my thick-soled shoe to take out a twenty-centimeter needle.

With magic, I might be able to pierce through with this needle.

"Prince Albert, what are you going to do?"

Princess Einhorn asks, trembling at our ominous actions.

"Survival tactics."

As I answer, the door is knocked on in a certain rhythm.

"Shall we go out?"

"But, but you said we wouldn't run away!"

"We're not running. The rescuers haven't arrived yet."

As I say this, I open the door, which should have been locked, and there stands Gerp, the gardener who trains Nebel and me, with a kind smile.

"Thank you. Do you have a blindfold or something?"

I glance at Princess Einhorn and ask Gerp, who smiles.

"I'll look for one."

"Thanks."

As we talk, we step outside, and Gerp locks the door to the room we were in.

"How many are there?"

"Ten in total."

"Surprisingly few. Is it better to have fewer people for a kidnapping? The leader is a man with a scar on his right cheek?"

"Yes."

"Are they waiting for the client? Did they seem to be in contact?"

"There are no magical communication devices here, so they haven't. They were drinking, so I don't think they'll move tonight."

There are two guards outside, but the others are eating and drinking in the hall.

Gerp suddenly looks up, pushes the princess into the room next to ours, and closes the door after entering with Nebel.

Here we go. With Gerp and Nebel, let's see how far we can go.

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